MARRIED... WITH CHILDREN:
THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON
Comedy,
like beauty, is all in the eyes of the beholder. Humor is a very
subjective thing, so what may be funny to me, isn’t necessarily going to
be funny to you. Personally, I love all forms of comedy, from slapstick to
sophisticated to absurdist to lowbrow. Ok, now that I’ve worked my way
to lowbrow, this is where I should mention one of my favorite sitcoms- MARRIED...
WITH CHILDREN. For my money, MARRIED... WITH CHILDREN was one
of the most significant television series to ever grace the Fox network,
and also one of their funniest. With the brilliantly hilarious Ed O'Neill
heading up a terrific cast of clowns MARRIED... WITH CHILDREN
guaranteed audiences a weekly dose of laughter for a little more than a
decade. As that constant loser and everyman Al Bundy, O’Neil brought to
life one of the most memorable sitcom characters in the history of
television.
MARRIED...
WITH CHILDREN and its Bundy clan were originally designed as the
antithesis of the wholesome, loving family featured on THE COSBY SHOW-
with the sitcom’s original working title actually being NOT THE
COSBYS. For those of you that may have never seen MARRIED... WITH
CHILDREN, the basic premise follows a dysfunctional family named
Bundy, lead by unsuccessful shoe salesman Al, his horny, couch potato wife
Peggy (Katey Sagal), blonde airhead/bimbo daughter Kelly (Christina
Applegate) and romantically deprived son Bud (David Faustino). Thrown into
the mix were newly wed next-door neighbors, Marcy (Amanda Bearse) and
Steve Rhoades (David Garrison), whom the Bundy’s befriended and
corrupted with their ongoing battle of the sexes.
While
the tone of the first season of MARRIED... WITH CHILDREN seemed
closest to reality; it was when the show reached for the heights of
absurdism in its later years, that the series most closely mirrored the
perceived nature of marriage and the relationships between men and women.
Still, the first season is still pretty darn hilarious and filled with
enough offensive humor to make it memorable. MARRIED... WITH CHILDREN:
THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON ($30) comes in a two-disc set that features
the following thirteen episodes: Pilot, Thinergy,
Sixteen Years And What Do You Get?, But I Didn't Shoot The
Deputy, Have You Driven A Ford Lately?, Whose
Room Is It Anyway?, Al Loses His Cherry, Peggy
Sue Got Work, Married...Without Children, The
Poker Game, Where's The Boss?, Nightmare On
Al's Street and Johnny B. Gone.
Columbia
TriStar Home Entertainment has made all the episodes that comprise MARRIED...
WITH CHILDREN: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON available on DVD in the
proper full screen aspect ratios of their original television broadcasts.
Shot on NTSC broadcast caliber video, MARRIED... WITH CHILDREN: THE
COMPLETE FIRST SEASON isn’t going to look quite as good as a
television series photographed on 35mm film. Of course, the presentation
on DVD is slightly better than a syndicated rebroadcast and produces an
image that appears reasonably sharp and defined. Colors are as uninspired
as the purposely trashy art direction, but they are pretty stable and don’t
display appreciable noise or smearing. The video has limited has limited
depth and contrast, but the overall picture is just fine. Digital
compression artifacts are never a problem. The Dolby Digital 2.0 channel
surround stereo soundtracks get the job done without any serious defects.
Dialogue is always completely understandable and the music sounds fine. No
other language tracks or subtitles are present, although English
captioning is provided. The basic interactive menus provide access to the
standard episode selection and set up features, as well as the sole
supplement- a fairly enjoyable hour-long reunion special that aired in
2003.
MARRIED...
WITH CHILDREN was a great television sitcom that brought fans a decade’s
worth of lewd, crude and rude good times. If you loved the show, you’ll
be adding MARRIED... WITH CHILDREN: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON to
you collection, while eagerly anticipating the release of its even funnier
follow up seasons.
Comedy,
like beauty, is all in the eyes of the beholder. Humor is a very
subjective thing, so what may be funny to me, isn’t necessarily going to
be funny to you. Personally, I love all forms of comedy, from slapstick to
sophisticated to absurdist to lowbrow. Ok, now that I’ve worked my way
to lowbrow, this is where I should mention one of my favorite sitcoms- MARRIED...
WITH CHILDREN. For my money, MARRIED... WITH CHILDREN was one
of the most significant television series to ever grace the Fox network,
and also one of their funniest. With the brilliantly hilarious Ed O'Neill
heading up a terrific cast of clowns MARRIED... WITH CHILDREN
guaranteed audiences a weekly dose of laughter for a little more than a
decade. As that constant loser and everyman Al Bundy, O’Neil brought to
life one of the most memorable sitcom characters in the history of
television.
MARRIED...
WITH CHILDREN and its Bundy clan were originally designed as the
antithesis of the wholesome, loving family featured on THE COSBY SHOW-
with the sitcom’s original working title actually being NOT THE
COSBYS. For those of you that may have never seen MARRIED... WITH
CHILDREN, the basic premise follows a dysfunctional family named
Bundy, lead by unsuccessful shoe salesman Al, his horny, couch potato wife
Peggy (Katey Sagal), blonde airhead/bimbo daughter Kelly (Christina
Applegate) and romantically deprived son Bud (David Faustino). Thrown into
the mix were newly wed next-door neighbors, Marcy (Amanda Bearse) and
Steve Rhoades (David Garrison), whom the Bundy’s befriended and
corrupted with their ongoing battle of the sexes.
While
the tone of the first season of MARRIED... WITH CHILDREN seemed
closest to reality; it was when the show reached for the heights of
absurdism in its later years, that the series most closely mirrored the
perceived nature of marriage and the relationships between men and women.
Still, the first season is still pretty darn hilarious and filled with
enough offensive humor to make it memorable. MARRIED... WITH CHILDREN:
THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON ($30) comes in a two-disc set that features
the following thirteen episodes: Pilot, Thinergy,
Sixteen Years And What Do You Get?, But I Didn't Shoot The
Deputy, Have You Driven A Ford Lately?, Whose
Room Is It Anyway?, Al Loses His Cherry, Peggy
Sue Got Work, Married...Without Children, The
Poker Game, Where's The Boss?, Nightmare On
Al's Street and Johnny B. Gone.
Columbia
TriStar Home Entertainment has made all the episodes that comprise MARRIED...
WITH CHILDREN: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON available on DVD in the
proper full screen aspect ratios of their original television broadcasts.
Shot on NTSC broadcast caliber video, MARRIED... WITH CHILDREN: THE
COMPLETE FIRST SEASON isn’t going to look quite as good as a
television series photographed on 35mm film. Of course, the presentation
on DVD is slightly better than a syndicated rebroadcast and produces an
image that appears reasonably sharp and defined. Colors are as uninspired
as the purposely trashy art direction, but they are pretty stable and don’t
display appreciable noise or smearing. The video has limited has limited
depth and contrast, but the overall picture is just fine. Digital
compression artifacts are never a problem. The Dolby Digital 2.0 channel
surround stereo soundtracks get the job done without any serious defects.
Dialogue is always completely understandable and the music sounds fine. No
other language tracks or subtitles are present, although English
captioning is provided. The basic interactive menus provide access to the
standard episode selection and set up features, as well as the sole
supplement- a fairly enjoyable hour-long reunion special that aired in
2003.
MARRIED...
WITH CHILDREN was a great television sitcom that brought fans a decade’s
worth of lewd, crude and rude good times. If you loved the show, you’ll
be adding MARRIED... WITH CHILDREN: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON to
you collection, while eagerly anticipating the release of its even funnier
follow up seasons.